Whistleblowing and retractions concerning Iran-affiliated medical research: motives and editorial perspectives

Research integrity underpins credible scientific research. Whistleblowing on research fraud, including data falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism, is critical for identifying flawed publications. Here, we investigated whistleblowers’ roles in the retraction of Iran-affiliated, medically related publications between 2014 and 2024 and documented whistleblowers’ motives and journal editors’ perspectives. We used a structured questionnaire to interview 18 whistleblowers, 10 members of editorial boards, and four editors-in-chief. We identified three dominant whistleblower motives: commitment to academic integrity and ethics, frustration with institutional inaction, and, in some cases, retaliation or grievances. Whistleblowers express their vulnerability in high-risk environments, consistently reporting fear of legal, professional, or personal retaliation. Editors reported that they relied on whistleblowers to identify misconduct and acknowledged that assessing motives and navigating the Iranian institutional bureaucracy were difficult. Both groups highlighted that participants perceived ineffective ethics committees and insufficient protection measures as contributing to an environment conducive to misconduct. The findings suggest that whistleblowers are perceived as indispensable gatekeepers of integrity, and that a complex interplay of moral obligations, personal grievances, and institutional inadequacies may drive them to report transgressions. Based on these findings, we suggest that transparent editorial protocols, secure reporting mechanisms, whistleblower protections, enhanced institutional oversight, and culturally aware international interactions may represent useful considerations for safeguarding research integrity in complex academic environments.